Survival of the Fittest
by Writergurl24
Summary: Hogwarts is hosting a special event this year, an event that the teachers refer to as "the Game of Survival". Hermione and her friends are pitted against each other in this strange game of survival, and alliances will have to be made.. alliances that normally wouldn't have been acceptable.
1. The Game of Survival

**A/N: It's summer! You know what that means? Yup! I'm going to be writing like crazy to make up for all the missed chapters! I hope that this summer will be filled with many more chapters of "Be Careful What You Wish For" and "Song of the Phoenix"! **

**Without further ado, I present the opening chapter of my new multi-chapter Harry Potter fanfiction... "Survival of the Fittest". **

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me. If it did, I'd be both rich and famous, which I am not. Also, this plot bunny was inspired by "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. **

**Creatively Yours, **

**~Writergurl24**

* * *

Hermione Granger stared down at the cryptic letter that she held in her hands.

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_ Due to the serious events of the war last year, we will be hosting a special event designed for promoting house unity. A further explanation will be provided on the night of the welcome feast. _

_ There will be no classes this year, so we ask that you only bring certain items. Casual dress is advised. Bring one item that represents you, such as a necklace, ring, amulet, etc. Any other items you feel are necessary, you may bring them as long as they are reasonable and not included within the list of banned objects. _

_ Sincerely Yours,_

_ ~Minerva M. McGonagall_

_ (Headmistress)_

The compartment door opened and Hermione's eyes were greeted by a mane of fire-engine read hair. It was Hermione's best friend, Ginny Weasley.

"What do you think it means?" Hermione asked as she absentminded fingered her vintage owl necklace. The necklace had been her Grandma's and she was bringing it as the item that would represent her.

"The letter? I have no idea. I'm anxious to get to school so we can figure out what's going on," Ginny replied. Hermione let out a grunt of agreement.

"I know, it's driving me mental," Hermione said, resting her head against the seat and closing her eyes. Countryside zoomed by, changing into wild and sparse plains.

"We're almost there. We should-" Hermione began, but stopped herself, frowning. "I keep forgetting that we aren't going to wear our Hogwarts robes this year."

"Well, one thing's for sure," murmured Ginny, looking out of the window at the passing countryside. "This year is going to be one strange and interesting year."

But then again, it was Hogwarts. When wasn't it strange and interesting?

* * *

Hermione sat quietly at the Gryffindor table, picking at her meal. As delicious as the welcome feast always was, she was just too excited at the prospect of finding out what was going on that she really didn't have much of an appetite.

Harry sat next to Hermione on her right, picking at his food somewhat, though still eating more than her. Ginny, who sat on her left, hadn't even touched her meal. She was staring distractedly at the winged podium up front where McGonagall would stand to giver her first pre-school year speech as the new Head Mistress of Hogwarts. Ron sat across from her, shoveling food into his mouth and not seeming to care what was going on. Hermione rolled her eyes at his gluttony.

After everyone was done eating- or in Hermione and Ginny's case, pretending to eat- the sorting hat sorted the new first years and sang its song like usual. After the hat had finished, McGonagall approached the winged podium and called for silence.

"To the new students, welcome and to the old, welcome back. Now, you have been informed that we are hosting a special event at Hogwarts this year, and we are indeed. There are three reasons for this special event. The first one is to repair the damage made by the war. The second is to promote inter-house and house unity, and finally the third is to help you learn the vital importance of survival- without magic."

At this point the whole hall burst into complaints and whispering. It took a few magically created bangs to quiet everyone down. McGonagall fixed them all with a stern gaze.

"If you wish to proceed with this special event, you will remain silent until I am finished giving you instructions," she said. The hall grew dead silent and McGonagall continued.

"This special event will take the form of a game, the Game of Survival. As I mentioned before, you will enter the game without your wand. You will not, however, be defenseless. You will each be given a unique magical power for the duration of the game, which is to last all year." She paused, looking around to see if everyone was paying attention. Everyone, even the Slytherin table, was still and silent in anticipation.

"Our staff has created a virtual game arena that imitates nature and filled it with magically-enhanced obstacles. You will enter this arena through a portal that will be set up in the Great Hall tomorrow night. The object of this game is to be the last survivor in the arena. You will use the unique magical power that you will be given to survive as well as to target your classmates. Of course there will be no actual deaths, only a virtual imitation of it. Once you have died in the virtual game, you will appear in the Great Hall and enter the game once more through the portal. You are given three re-entries into the virtual arena. After that you will not be permitted to enter the game again," she declared. She paused a moment, gathering her thoughts and then continued once more.

"Tonight you will write your name, your house and your age on a slip of parchment and give it to Professor Flitwick. Tomorrow you will receive your slip of parchment back with an added detail: the magical power that will be issued to you on entry of the virtual arena. For now, however, you beds await you. Goodnight to all!" she finished and stepped down from the podium.

Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny each copied down the information on pieces of parchment and handed them to Professor Flitwick before proceeding up to the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor.

"What do you think about the Game of Survival, Gin?" Hermione asked the red-head. Ginny frowned for a moment before speaking.

"I dunno... I think it's a good way to teach survival, you know, immersing yourself into the situation, but I also am a bit queasy on what the Slytherins will do...," she murmured. Hermione had to agree. When it came to any sort of fight with blood and gore, the Slytherins were sure to be involved. Now, when it came to the Game of Survival, Hermione knew they would do anything to win it.

"True, but that goes for all of the houses, Ginny. All of them are potential threats because of the different characteristics that lie in them. Gryffindor for their bravery, Hufflepuff for their fierce loyalty, Ravenclaw for their unmatchable wits, and Slytherin for their cunning," Hermione reasoned. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Very true, 'Mione," she murmured as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. They gave the password and entered the Common Room. Ginny gave a huge yawn and declared she was going to hit the sack. They all agreed and headed up to their dormitories.

Hermione laid in bed, thinking about the game that the teachers had set up this year and wondering if it was a good idea after all. She wondered what sort of powers they would give her on entering the virtual arena, and she tossed and turned for quite awhile as she thought about this.

* * *

The next morning, the Great Hall was alive with activity. On entering the Great Hall, Hermione saw that a portal had been set up behind the staff table. Many students, by the looks of it, had already received their slips of parchment back because they were talking it over with their friends.

Hermione made her way up to the staff table, approaching Professor Flitwick, who was sorting through hundreds of slips of parchment. She cleared her throat to declare her presence.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Granger," came Flitwick's squeaky voice. He rummaged through the pieces of parchment, gave up, and summoned it with his wand. "Here you are, Ms. Granger. Good luck."

Hermione thanked him almost unconsciously, focused on unfolding the slip of parchment in front of her. When she finally did get it unfolded, she stared at the words in front of her.

_Hermione Granger_

_Gryffindor_

_17_

_**Fire**_

She blinked. Fire. That was her magical power. She knew it would be useful for eliminating her fellow classmates, but for survival? She supposed the only way it would be useful was for making a fire to cook game...

There was no time to talk with Harry, Ron, or Ginny about what they had received, for McGonagall had stepped up to the winged podium and begun to speak.

"Students of Hogwarts, you have now all received your slip of parchment back. Now is the moment you have all been waiting for: the entrance into the game. You will enter the game in alphabetical order according to your last name. First years will enter first. Upon your entry of the virtual arena, you will be given an hour to find an encampment and settle in. After the allotted time has passed, you will be given the signal and the Game of Survival will begin. ," McGonagall instructed.

Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table between Harry and Ron as McGonagall was still talking and had just enough time to snatch a piece of toast before all of the food disappeared. She turned back to McGonagall, who was still speaking.

"Now we will open the portal. Please step forward when I call you." McGonagall pointed her wand behind the staff table and the air shimmered, almost as it would when it came in contact with heat. Pulling out a long scroll, McGonagall called the first name.

"Abott, Hannah." Hannah walked forward uncertainly and then disappeared into the portal.

It was like first year all over again. Their last names were called out and they each stepped forward in turn, waiting to enter the game for the first time. Being that her name was near the beginning of the alphabet, Hermione was called before any of her other friends.

"Granger, Hermione." Hermione stepped forward, reassuring herself as she had done so many years ago at the Sorting Ceremony in their first year. McGonagall nodded at her kindly, encouraging her to go through the portal.

Nervously, Hermione held her breath and stepped forward towards the shimmering air. Instead of feeling a burning heat like she imagined she would, she felt a pleasant and warm feeling, like a summer breeze, ruffling her bushy brown hair. Everything went black suddenly and Hermione guessed that the portal was working its magic.

Suddenly a burst of light blinded her sensitive eyes. She held her hands in front of her face, shielding it from the burning light. Birdsong sounded around her and the smell of a recent rainfall surrounded her. The blinding light, it turned out, was the product of the brilliant summer sun. It was alien to her, as the sun in England was so much different, especially now in autumn...

Her eyes turned to her surroundings and she noticed that she was standing in a forest clearing with the other Hogwarts students that had entered the arena before her. The clearing was a blinding green, showing that it had recently rained, as her sense of smell had guessed.

As the clearing filled with more and more people and Hermione became more and more cramped, she couldn't help wondering when the signal would come so that they could hurry up and find their own camp. She found her friends and satisfied herself by talking to them until at last the signal, a shower of green sparks, showed itself above the trees.

Hermione's feet pounded against the wet ground, not caring when water and mud splashed up onto her legs. She delved again into the cover of trees, running deeper into the forest than she hoped the others would go.

She found a suitable place for a camp almost immediately. It was deep in the heart of the forest where the trees where knit together so close that the branches and leaves blocked out most of the suns rays. An ancient willow tree with its roots protruding out of the ground was situated near a small pond. She could easily fit under the roots and would have no problem camouflaging it. That would be her bed.

The pond rested nearby and was filled with small fish and scum-less water. A food and drink source all in one. She could easily build a fire with the powers she had been given and would be able to cook game easily. If she were injured, the forest would be her doctor, prescribing its many natural medications.

Hermione set about gathering moss and leaves with which she could camouflage her tree-root shelter. First she laid down the cool moss. This would act as insulation. On cold nights it would make the shelter warm and on hot nights it would absorb the heat. Next she laid down the leaves, which weren't so much for insulation as for camouflage.

Just as Hermione finished with her shelter and straightened up, she heard something that sounded like a conch horn mixed with the crackling of fire crackers. She looked up and saw a shower of green sparks. Finally, she realized what it meant.

The Game of Survival had begun.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Leave me comments and criticism! Do you guys like it? Should I continue? If you didn't already notice, this was inspired by "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Go check it out! It's an amazing book! The whole series is pretty amazing!**

**Well, I must bid you ado for now,**

**Yours Creatively,**

**~*Writergurl24*~**


	2. Paranoia

**A/N: Hello guys! It's meee! So this time I have a shout out to one of the first reviewers who reviewed this story!**

**Katnissfire87654, thank you for reviewing and reading this story faithfully! Guys, check out her profile. She's part of the rebellion against the Capitol admins who have decided to take out the option of Submit Your Own Tribute stories (SYOTS) and ended up deleting millions of loved stories concerning fan-made tributes. Join the rebellion!**

**"Fire is catching, and if we burn, they burn with us!" ~Katniss Everdeen. **

**Now, onto the story! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, my name would be J.K. Rowling, which it is not. Also, this plot bunny was made possible by Suzanne Collins' book "the Hunger Games". Check it out!**

**May the odds be ever in your favor, **

**~*Writergurl24*~**

* * *

_"Sometimes paranoia's just having all the facts."_  
~William S. Burroughs

Ch.2: Paranoia 

Hermione Granger's first day in the virtual game arena was hell. Oh, she survived fine physically, but it was a test of mental skill. Not mental in the intelligent way that Hermione was gifted in, but mental as in mental endurance.

And Hermione hated every minute of it.

She had no contact with any other witch or wizard for a painstaking amount of time. She had not left the safety of her camp and by mid-afternoon she was going crazy with the need to do something.

So, with this thought in mind as well as a growling stomach, Hermione Granger cautiously took her first step into the woods beyond her camp. Feeling satisfied, she began to creep through the forest, intent on finding some game for dinner.

Not far into the forest, she began to have an irksome case of paranoia. Every step that she took was a fear for land-mines, knifflers, or some other hidden horror. Every breath was breathed carefully, as if the air was filled with a poisonous gas. Even the tiniest sound made her jump and flex her fingers, creating a fireball that would burn her opponent to nothing but cinders. Twice she thought she heard footsteps or the cracking of a twig behind her. Twice she turned to find no one.

'_This is ridiculous'_ Hermione thought to herself. _'It's only the first day. The other students will be settling in and trying to survive before the actual killing begins.'_

She stopped when she heard a noise coming from a few feet in front of her. She peered through the leaves and underbrush that was blocking her vision to find a handsome buck grazing on the overgrown grass. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Reminded by her growling stomach that she needed food, she wondered how to kill the deer. Perhaps it would be enough to send a fireball toward it. Would that singe and burn it? She decided to try it out.

Flexing her fingers, she willed a fireball to appear in her right hand. As if on cue, a magnificent orange and gold flame leaped to life in the palm of her right hand. The flame neither burned nor hurt her hand, as if she were protected by some fire-proof glove. She had no doubt, though, that it would burn the objects of the environment surrounding her.

She aimed and flung the fireball toward the deer, pinpointing where she guessed the heart would be. In a mere second, the deer gave one final cry and then was dead. She crept forward to see the damage she had done.

It was dead and not burned and seemed to be edible, so Hermione hefted it onto her shoulders and made her way back to her camp. Once there, she began preparing a fire and a spit to cook the deer upon, taking care not to use materials that would make the smoke thick and noticeable. She willed another fireball into her hand and let the flame catch onto some kindling, starting the fire. She fitted the deer onto the spit and decided to head back into the forest to gather some herbs that she thought would be useful.

Hermione had brought her book bag with her into the game. Quite frankly, she brought it wherever she went. Harry and Ron often asked her why she had to bring a portable library everywhere she went. Her answer was simply that, in case an urgent situation arose and she needed to look up something, the books were always right there with her, as was the case now.

She pulled out a herbology book titled "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi" and opened it to the section containing information about plants with healing properties. She would use this book to identify the plants she came across.

With her finger still holding her place, Hermione crept out of her camp in search for herbs. Once again, a strong feeling of paranoia hit her and she looked over her shoulder, sure someone was following her.

The woods were completely silent, except for the occasional rustle of a leaf in the afternoon breeze. Satisfied that no one was following her, Hermione turned back around and began walking again , looking for herbs.

After a few minutes of searching, Hermione found a patch of mint. She picked a few leaves and slipped them in her pocket, thinking perhaps she could use them to season her venison.

Not far after the mint patch, Hermione found some yarrow, which, as she read in the book, was an herb that induced vomiting and could help her expel poisons and other toxins, should she need to.

Behind her, a twig cracked. Hermione stopped dead, now positive that someone was following her. Slowly, she turned around, still seeing no one.

"Who's there?" she called out nervously.

Silence greeted her.

Suddenly a large sapling uprooted itself and rammed into Hermione, knocking the breath out of her and throwing her to the ground. Eyes watering, she clambered to her feet and wasted no time in summoning a fireball.

A boulder hurled itself at her, but this time she was ready. She rolled out of the way just in time as the boulder crashed to the ground where she had just been standing.

"Show yourself!" Hermione screamed.

As if on command, a bulky figure dropped from the tree in front of her. As the figure stepped into the light, it started to gain features and Hermione realized that it was the girl she had once tried to turn into by means of Polyjuice Potion- Millicent Bullstrode.

Another large sapling flew toward Hermione and she instinctively held out her hand and threw a fireball at it, incinerating it instantly. She turned to face Millicent, now realizing what power the girl had.

Telekinesis. Millicent Bulstrode had the power to move objects with her mind. Anger boiled up in Hermione and she tasted bile in her mouth. Glaring at Millicent, she spoke her mind.

"Coward! Come fight me yourself instead of trying to kill me from a distance. Or are you too afraid?" she screamed. The girl's face contorted in rage and another boulder hurled at Hermione, who ducked out of the way just in time.

"What's wrong? Afraid I'll kill you?" Hermione shouted. She knew she had done it this time. Millicent lowered her head and charged, very much like a bull would. Hermione had succeeded in bringing her nearer, but now what? Her brain worked overtime, trying to figure out a plan.

A rock-solid fist slammed into Hermione's face and she fell backwards onto the muddy ground. She sat there, stunned, for a few seconds. Once she regained her senses, she scrambled to her feet and faced Millicent. A good-sized boulder sped towards her and she only had enough time to stagger to the side slightly before the boulder rammed into her side, slicing her skin and creating a nicely-sized gash. Hot, sticky blood trickled down from the wound. She clapped her hand to it, trying to stop the flow of blood.

Blinded with pain, Hermione threw a fireball towards what she hoped was the girl, intending to scare her off. A shriek of pain made her open her eyes and look for the source.

There was Millicent, panicking as a tongue of flame devoured her clothes and burned her flesh. Uncertain what to do, she began to try to smother the flames by hitting them with her hand. The flame caught on and began to devour the flesh on her hand as well, working its way up her arm.

It was a gruesome sight to watch, but Hermione couldn't turn away. Just like a car accident in full action, so was this burning of the girl. In a short amount of time, the flames consumed her body and she was nothing but a pile of stinking ashes. Hermione felt the bile rise to her throat again and this time she retched and vomited on the forest floor.

She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, feeling more sick than ever. She knew it was just a game, not real, but she couldn't help but feel remorse. If she wanted to win this, she would have to kill more people . . . and not just people she hardly knew. She would have to go face to face with her friends. Hermione pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She couldn't think about that. That thought could be her undoing . . . Besides, Millicent still had two more chances to kill her. She would have to be careful.

A loud bang brought her to her senses. She looked up into the sky and saw a shower of black sparks. She wondered what it was for, but then realized that the black sparks must mean a death. The first death of the game . . .

She looked down and drew her hand away from her side, wondering how bad the wound was. Her hand was covered in her own fresh crimson blood. She let out a whimper as the pain suddenly shot through her. She needed to find something to heal herself with. Quickly she scoured the clearing. There, to her left, was a clump of marigold, which, as she read, treated severe wounds. She picked a few and stuffed them into her pocket.

Looking for something to stanch the blood flow, she spotted sap glistening from a pine tree. Carefully, she dabbed her finger into the sap and spread it onto her skin. Taking a few long leaves, she stuck them onto the sap, which acted as a sort of glue, and pressed them there until they stayed themselves. A makeshift band-aid.

She staggered through the forest, along the path she had came until she reached her camp. Pausing, she looked behind her shoulder.

Something was wrong, out of place. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right.

Suddenly everything went black.

* * *

**A/N: Well, what did you guys think? I'm sorry this chapter was a bit short. I'll try to have longer chapters in the future.**

**By the way, I made a change to my profile if you want to check it out. I created a system where I set a date that I have to finish a chapter of my fanfictions by. I have to have them published at least by that date. This will help me to have a set time in order to get the chapters done as well as to help you know when the chapter will come out. **

**Creatively Yours, **

**~*Writergurl24*~**


	3. Blackout

**A/N: I know, an update so soon, right after Be Careful What You Wish For! Yes, my update dates have gotten a bit mixed up, but that happens when you write, I suppose! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, not only this story, but all of my stories! Keep it up! Reviews make my fingers type faster!**

**Yours Creatively,**

**~*Writergurl24*~**

* * *

_And suddenly, like light in darkness, the real truth broke in upon me; the simple fact of Man, which I had forgotten, which had lain deep buried and out of sight; the idea of community, of unity._

~Ernst Toller

Ch.3: Blackout

Hermione stared up at the black sky, not knowing whether it was night or day. Not long after she had made her first kill, the whole sky and gone mysteriously black. It troubled her. She wasn't sure whether it was because of someone's powers or because the virtual game was messing with their minds.

She unstuck her make-shift band-aid from her side, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through her. She took out the slightly-crumpled marigold leaves from her pocket, laying them down on a stone slab. She searched the ground for a moment, and finally found a good-sized rock with which she used to pound the juice out from the marigold plants. Taking another leaf, she spread the juice across her wound, almost letting out a cry of pain as it seeped into the cut. She then went about re-dressing her wound with more leaves and sap.

Suddenly the sky lit up with something that seemed similar to fireworks. Blinded, Hermione covered her eyes with her hand. Even with her eyes shut, she could see the blaze of light and screwed her eyes up tighter, the image burning into her eyelids. When the light had somewhat receded, Hermione uncovered her eyes and returned her gaze to the black-as-night sky.

Little lights bobbed in the sky, each different colors. They drew together until they seemed to be as one, forming a moving picture replay of the first kill of the game- Millicent Bulstrode, the girl that Hermione had accidentally set on fire.

Hermione watched the horrible scene once more. It had haunted her memory and burned her closed eyelids ever since it happened, but it was horrifying and sickening to see it replayed so vividly. She closed her eyes, unwilling to see the image again and feeling a bit nauseous.

When the image dissipated, the lights flew back down to earth and Hermione realized that they were little fairies each of a different color. She remembered fairies of that sort being used for decoration at the Yule Ball and couldn't help but admire their beauty.

She tore a strip of venison meat off of a bone and chewed slowly and thoughtfully, still staring at the sky. The meat had a strange, gamey taste that only a ravenously hungry person would like.

She was worried that the Slytherins would want to get revenge on her somehow for the death of Millicent Bulstrode.

_Oh, what am I thinking?_ she thought to herself. _They're going to come sooner or later. Might as well get it over with,_ she thought, trying to reason with herself. However, that thought didn't make her feel better in the slightest.

Realizing that she was out of marigold and knowing she'd need some later, Hermione stood up and made her way to the entrance of her little camp. She flexed her fingers and a tongue of flame appeared, the very same that had granted her the bittersweet first victory of the game. With this in her hands, she ventured out cautiously, for she was aware that the darkness that was blanketed over everything might be the result of someone's power.

Halfway through the forest, Hermione heard footsteps on the fallen leaves to her right. She extinguished her flame and ducked behind a large oak tree, hoping the person hadn't noticed her. A few seconds later she realized it was two pairs of footsteps and that made her all the more nervous. If they had noticed her, a fight would be inevitable, as would her death. She couldn't take on two people, and she hadn't even thought about their powers.

She still was blind as a bat and could hardly see the tree in front of her, but she knew when they approached. She heard their voices as well as felt their presence.

"Blaise, don't you think it's a bit stupid making everything dark?" came the all-too familiar, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Hermione had to stop herself from gasping. She slunk behind the tree even more to make sure that they did not see her.

Blaise Zambini had the power of darkness.

"No, I don't. They darkness is host to murderers. The others will be lured out and then I will find them." the boy replied calmly.

Hermione had to admit, it was a pretty good plan, one that she wouldn't have thought of if she had the power of darkness. But she had to agree with Malfoy, no matter how much she loathed the git.

"They're more than likely suspicious of the sudden darkness," Malfoy persisted. Hermione could hear Blaise make a sneering noise.

"They'll think that it's the game playing tricks with their head, making them go mental or something."

Hermione listened until their voices and footsteps faded away and then she let out the breath she had been holding. It had been so close . . . One wrong move and they would've known that she was there.

A crazy thought suddenly came into her head. What if she were to follow them and wait for them to split up, then attack one of them from behind? She would have the advantage of surprise, right? If they were surprised, then maybe they wouldn't be able to fight to the best of their ability. Not at first, anyway. Maybe she could give them some good injuries at least, if she didn't kill them.

Silently, she followed them, darting from tree to tree every once in awhile. The leaves hardly rustled beneath her feet, a result of which had taken hours of practice. She knew that in order to survive in this game she would have to be silent when stalking prey.

Where were the two Slytherins going anyway? Did they have a camp somewhere near? Or did they decide to team up temporarily to take out their enemies faster? Had they seen anyone else yet? The way they were arguing and crashing through the forest, it was hard to believe that they hadn't.

Too lost in thought, Hermione forgot that she was supposed to stay silent. She stepped on a dry twig and it cracked. She froze, listening, wondering if the two Slytherins had heard her mistake.

"What was that?" Malfoy demanded. Blaise didn't answer.

"Who's there?" Blaise called out. Hermione was silent and still. Mentally she cursed herself for not paying attention to where she was walking. Whatever happened, she had lost the element of surprise. She was sure to die now.

She heard footsteps coming closer and she slowly and silently moved to hide behind a tree. Her breath hitched in her throat as footsteps started to come closer to her tree.

"Who's there?" Blaise repeated. Hermione was silent once more, listening as closely as she could for more footsteps.

"It's probably just an animal, Blaise," Malfoy drawled.

"No, that definitely wasn't an animal," growled Blaise stubbornly.

She heard Blaise's footsteps as they came closer and she dared not move or breath.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" came a voice next to her. She jumped and let out a muffled scream. Blaise was standing next to her, a furious look on his face. When had he gotten there?

"I- I- I-" she stammered.

"Answer me!" he growled.

"Y-yes, I w-was," she stuttered. He snarled and yanked her out from behind the tree by her hair. This time she let out a true scream that echoed into the forest. Malfoy's face contorted into a look of worry and surprise when he saw her, but as soon as it had appeared, the look was gone.

"Blaise, Mate, we don't want to give away our location," Malfoy said, looking over his shoulder anxiously.

"You're right. Maybe we should just kill her and be done with it," he said thoughtfully. Malfoy sighed frustratedly.

"That's not what I meant."

"Well, that's what I meant," growled Blaise. He lunged at Hermione and she dodged out of his way just in time to see him go lumbering in the other direction. She turned and began sprinting back towards her camp, not even looking over her shoulder.

She heard the sound of wind whistling behind her. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she forced her legs to carry her faster through the forest.

"Blaise, stop!" came Malfoy's voice.

Hermione swung around to see Blaise charging at her with some sort of home-made knife that looked as if he had made out of stone. Hermione braced herself for the searing pain, knowing that it was too late to dodge.

A blur of platinum hair flashed before her as Malfoy stepped in front of her just as Blaise's stone-knife reached her. The blade punctured the skin, plunging into his stomach. His scream was blood-curdling. It made her skin itch and the hair on the nape of her neck prickle.

Draco Malfoy had saved her life.

"Draco, what the hell?" Blaise raged angrily. Malfoy didn't answer, only raised his hand to the sky, his face contorted with pain.

A wave of water from a nearby creek suddenly rose up and engulfed Blaise in a ball, giving no mercy, no chance to let him breathe. And just like that, as soon as everything had happened, it was done.

Malfoy dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.

She lingered for a moment, trying to make the decision. She knew there were two different options: help him, or leave him to die. He had saved her life, now she would save his.

Slowly, she walked over to him and held out her hand. He took it and she helped up stand.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Why did you take that knife for me?" she retorted.

"Fair question," he grunted.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer me?" she snapped.

"Granger, I'm hurt, here. I would prefer that I get somewhere comfortable and get my wound dressed and bandaged before I start spouting out Merlin knows what," he replied, wincing again. She gave an angry sigh but finally relented.

"Fine. Come with me."

Once they had reached her hideout and she had dressed and bandaged her wound, she sat down next to him, intending to confront him about his actions.

"Why did you take the knife for me? You could have just let Blaise kill me," she whispered. He was silent for a long time before finally replying.

"Damn it, Granger, it was an impulse and don't you make me regret it! You Gryffindors always think that we Slytherins have to be evil or something, don't you? It's like you think we actually wanted to follow the Dark Lord. Well, maybe our parents did, but most of us kids don't. The thing is, we don't want to go off and start joining the Order either," he said thoughtfully, looking up at the sky.

"What do you mean?" she asked him, genuinely confused.

"I mean, you Gryffindors always see the world in black and white, no gray. You think that the world is split up to good people and Death Eaters and nothing in between. That's not true. There are some of us out there who represent that gray."

She was silent for a moment, taking in all that he had said.

Maybe there was much more to Draco Malfoy than she thought.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know, I'm late with this chapter and it's incredibly short! I'm so sorry! I have been having a massive Writer's Block this week... =( By the way, I'm not going to be updating next week because I'm going to a church convention. I'll be writing whilst I'm there, though (hopefully!) so I should update after I get home!**

**Updates make my fingers type faster!**

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**~*Writergurl24*~**


	4. Phobia

**A/N: I know! I haven't updated in awhile, I'm sorry! I've been so busy with my story for the local contest. Speaking of which.. it won Grand Champion as well as First Place! :D **

**Anyway, I'll try to update all of my stories as best as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be both rich and famous, which I am not. **

**May the odds be ever in your favor,**

**~*Writergurl24*~**

* * *

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." ~Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Ch. 4: Complications

Hermione gazed up at the night sky, watching the replay of Blaise's drowning. Mixed feelings arose in her. She was still confused as to why Malfoy had taken the knife for her, but she couldn't say she regretted that he did. She wondered if it was some sort of trick that he was playing on her. Maybe he was trying to earn her trust just to betray and kill her.

There came a slight rustling to her left and she looked over to find the Ferret Prince himself awake. His blonde hair was mussed up, much to her amusement, and he looked like hell. He groaned and held a hand to his wound.

She stood and made her way to the supply of healing herbs that she kept and proceeded to retrieve the objects he would need to re-dress his wound.

"Here, you can re-dress your own wound," she muttered, thrusting the leaves and sap towards him. He took it and gave her a look.

"I saved your life and you don't seem to care," he mused, taking the supplies. He peeled off the blood-soaked leaf and began to apply the new one.

"Oh, I care. Excuse me for not trusting you after you've terrorized me my whole childhood. And now you suddenly think that after taking a knife for me everything will be fine and dandy? I don't think so," she snapped.

"Someone's got her knickers in a twist," he said smugly. She glowered at him.

"Don't think for a second that you have any effect on my knickers," she snapped, turning away and beginning to spread marigold juice on her own wound.

"Someone seems defensive," he sneered. She turned around, her eyes blazing with anger. A small tongue of flame sprang to life on her hands, provoked by her anger.

"I am a millisecond away from cremating you, Malfoy. Shut your overly large mouth and maybe I'll let you live," she snarled. He backed away, his hands held up in surrender.

"All right, all right," he muttered, putting his hands back down and proceeding to remain silent.

Hermione went about arranging the moss and leaves on the floor of her makeshift bed underneath the tree's roots, trying to get comfortable for the night. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in Merlin knew how long, so she was ready to sleep. Malfoy crawled into the crevice and lay next to her, his body turned away. She made sure there was as much room as possible between the two of them before falling asleep.

The morning dawned, gloomy and cold and Hermione awoke in her makeshift bed among the tree roots. She began planning for the day in her head. She would go out and find some food, redress her wounds and then maybe go on the offensive… She stopped, a feeling suddenly engulfing her. Something didn't seem right… She pushed the feeling to the back of her head and continued planning her day.

She rolled over and came face to face with a sleeping Draco Malfoy.

Her plans, at least of going on the offensive, were now invalid. She couldn't go on the offensive while trying to treat her wounds, as well as his. Maybe if she finished him off here… but no, she couldn't do that. He had saved her life for Merlin knew what reason, and it was only fair for her to return the favor.

She sighed in annoyance and got up, making her way out to the small pool of water that sat next to the large tree. She kneeled beside it and began washing her face and her hair. She combed her fingers through the long, curly strands, trying to detangle the bushy mess.

When Malfoy crawled out from the tree roots, his hair disheveled from sleep, she was sitting, trying to dry her hair in the invisible sun.

"Granger," he said, greeting her curtly.

"Malfoy," she greeted him with a slight nod of her head.

He made his way to the pool and began to wash up as she had. Hermione stopped, an epiphany revealing itself to her. She was certain why she had felt the feeling that something wasn't right this morning. She stood to her feet and looked around, trying to quiet her breathing and tune her ears to her surroundings.

"Granger, what—" Malfoy began, but she shushed him, putting a finger to her lips. He quieted, controlling his breathing too.

It was then that she heard it, the dreadful ring of silence. No birds chirping. No animals making their way through the brush. No crickets. No cicadas. Even the wind seemed to be keeping a low profile, not stirring the leaves at all.

The forest seemed to be empty of prey.

"The game, it must be messing with us. Taking away a food source to see how we survive," Hermione said, cursing quietly. She only hoped the game hadn't made the fruit disappear too. She mentally kicked herself for not stockpiling the food. She had suspected something like this would happen.

"We've got to go look for food," Hermione declared. "I'm not sure when the game will bring the animals back, so we need to stockpile as many fruits, vegetables, and edible plants as we can."

"Granger, I can't exactly go prancing through the forest with this injury," he argued, gesturing at his stomach.

"Then I'll go alone. You can stay here," she said, beginning to make her way to the entrance of their camp.

"But, Granger, what about... I mean, Blaise and Millicent have probably re-entered the game by now and they'll be looking for you," he said. Hermione through she detected concern in his voice, but she knew that couldn't be right. Draco Malfoy would never be concerned about her.

"I'm a big girl, Malfoy. I can handle myself," she retorted.

She made her way out of the camp, but stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. Draco limped up to her, holding his wound gingerly.

"I could be of some use if you need to find a body of water or something," he grumbled. Hermione sighed in annoyance.

"Fine, come along, then! But if you collapse in the middle of the forest because your wound can't take all the 'prancing', don't expect me to help you," she snapped.

"Whatever," he muttered, "let's just get started already."

She began walking at a brisk pace, pulling ahead of him in annoyance. He easily caught up to her in a moment, and that made her even more mad, but she just kept walking. She stepped lightly on the ground, walking silently so as not to give away their location. Beside, her, Malfoy was trampling through the brush, probably scaring off prey from miles around. She stopped and touched his shoulder, signaling him to stop walking too.

" What is it now, your Highness?" he asked sarcastically.

"You're bumbling through the forest. I bet every prey for miles around knows we're in here. I know you're hurt, but could you at least_ try_ to be quiet?" She hissed indignantly. He sighed in annoyance.

"Merlin, Granger," he retorted sourly. "Fine, I'll take my trainers off. Happy?" he growled, stripping off his socks and shoes.

"Yes, I am," she snapped. "Oh, I might as well too, then."

She pulled off her shoes and socks. Once they were both barefoot, they began walking through the forest much more quietly. Hermione knew that Draco's wound was causing him to step a little heavier than normal and he was still making noise, however minimal, but she was grateful that it wasn't as loud as it had been before.

After a few minutes, they came across a coconut tree, which, to Hermione's delight, was loaded with the fruit itself, ripe and ready for harvesting. Draco walked forward and began clumsily shimmying up the tree. He made it up about a foot and then fell back down, his wound obviously deterring him from climbing.

"Don't be stupid, Malfoy. Let me climb. You're injured," argued Hermione.

"Granger, if I can tromp through the forest with an annoying, buck-toothed know-it-all, I think I can climb a tree," he retorted defensively.

"It's different! When you climb, your wound will be rubbing against the bark and could open and then there's a possibility of infection and that could lead to blood poisoning...," she trailed off.

"Well fine, then. If you're so clever, why don't you go and do it?" he snapped.

"Maybe I will!" she retorted, turning and facing the tree. She grasped a branch with both of her hands and began shimmying up the tree as Malfoy had. When she was not very far off the ground, a dreamy voice floated from the trees to her right.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Hermione pulled herself up onto a low branch and studied the area in which the voice had come from, trying to discern the speaker. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she just couldn't quite place who it was...

"Why not?" she asked curiously.

"Once you get to the top and grab the coconuts, you're going to fall. You'll end up breaking your leg, just a minor break, but still detrimental," murmured the voice.

Luna Lovegood stepped out from behind a tree and Hermione almost recoiled. Luna looked like a wild woman. Her platinum blonde hair was in snarls, embellished with a few leaves and twigs. Her clothes, a cardigan and blue jeans, were torn and dirty in several places. Dirt was smeared on her face, contrasting sharply with her pale skin.

"Luna!" Hemione exclaimed, sliding down from the tree and embracing her friend, who warmly returned the hug.

"What, you're going to trust this nutcase?" Draco asked rudely. "How did she know that you were going to fall?"

"Oh, I saw it," Luna said before Hermione could reply, as if that were the most obvious thing.

"You saw it?" Draco asked skeptically. Luna nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes. It was dreadful. She had just grabbed one of the coconuts before losing her balance and falling. She landed at an awkward angle and it was pretty obvious that her leg was broken," she explained.

Hermione was puzzled. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought as she tried to understand what Luna was saying.

"But that didn't happen," Hermione argued, wondering if Luna had spent a little too much time in the sun.

"Oh, I know. Not yet, anyway," replied the blonde mysteriously.

"Not yet? Granger, she's off her rocker, she-" Hermione cut Draco off.

"Your power... do you the power of seeing into the future or something?" she asked cautiously. Luna nodded again.

"Oh, yes. It's come in handy quite a few times already. Just a few minutes ago, I had a vision that I would run into Cormac McLaggen if I continued the way I was going, so I went a different way," she explained, gesturing back the way she had come.

"What an interesting ability!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Wait, don't tell me you believe this nonsense, Granger? She could be spouting off a lie just to get us to trust her or something," Malfoy whispered heatedly. Hermione shot him a glare.

"Of course I believe her. Why would she need to lie? I already trust her. Maybe you don't, but I do," she snapped.

"You're going to be faced with your worst fear, you know," Luna murmured in her dreamy voice, directing the comment toward Draco. "Both of you. It will happen before sunset and it's the only way you can get food."

They both stared at her, their perplexity and confusion showing on their face.

"Well, I'd best be off. I sense something approaching, so I think I should run. You probably should too," She said in a cheerful tone as always, before darting to the left and sprinting through the trees. They both stared after her.

A rustling jarred them out of their reverie. Hermione froze and turned her head toward the source of the noise. The sound of twigs cracking and leaves crunching signaled the approach of something large... something _very_ large. From the makeshift path that Luna had come from, a strange creature appeared. This creature had the head and forelegs of a lion, the body of a goat, and its tail was a very long, very vicious-looking python. Hermione gasped, recognizing the monster. It was a-

"Chimaera!" Hermione screamed, grabbing Draco's arm and beginning to sprint away from the creature, into the forest. "Do you believe her now?!"

"Oh, come on, Granger," he yelled back as they ran. "That was obviously a coincidence. There's no way that Lovegood could've-" he cut his sentence short and yelped in pain. Hermione glanced over her shoulder and found that he had stopped running and was now frantically patting at his head, trying to smother a tongue of flame that was quickly singing and burning his blonde hair. She snapped her fingers and the flame disappeared, leaving quite a large amount of his hair singed.

"My hair!" he moaned, pulling at his blonde tresses. "It's disfigured!"

"Oh, stop being dramatic," Hermione snapped, rolling her eyes. "It'll grow back. At least now we know that the Chimaera can produce fire...," she trailed off, her eyes growing wide. "That's it! Fire!" she exclaimed.

"What're you on about, Granger?" grumbled Draco, obviously still miffed about his singed hair.

"The opposite of fire is water!" she said excitedly.

"No, really?" He muttered sarcastically. "Your point is?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, Malfoy. You can use your water ability to make sure it doesn't spit flames while I kill it with a fireball or something," she explained quickly.

"I'll admit, that's not a bad plan. It's worth a shot," he grumbled.

From behind them, they heard the Chimaera tromping through the brush, following their makeshift trail. This time, instead of running, they both turned and faced the creature as it emerged from the depths of the forest. Hermione flexed her fingers, making a tongue of flame dance to life in her palm. She glanced at Draco out of the corner of her eye and saw he did the same thing, making a ball of water form.

The Chimaera advanced on them, growling deep in its throat and baring some of the largest fangs that Hermione had ever seen. Its snake tail moved to face the two and hissed, showing off another set of fangs that Hermione knew to be venomous and fatal, should it bite.

Hermione stood her ground, glaring at the creature, refusing to retreat. Furious that she wasn't being as frightened as she should, the Chimaera opened its mouth and spat fire at her.

In that split second, Draco flung his ball of water, forming a high pressure jet of water that collided with the stream of fire, dissolving it. Draco didn't stop once the fire was gone, however. He thrust his hand forward, forcing the jet of water to shoot into the Chimaera's mouth.

Hermione took her cue as the Chimaera began to sputter and choke on the water. She aimed for its snake tail, which she guessed could probably spit poison as well as inject it, and flung her fireball at it. The fireball hit dead on and a flame danced to life, devouring the snake. She conjured another fireball, aimed it at the monster's chest, and shot it. The flame caught onto the Chimaera's fur and began spreading rapidly, greedily devouring the monster. The Chimaera gave a roar that was garbled by another mouthful of water and began twisting and turning, its hungry eyes now replaced with a panicked look.

In no time, the fire had eaten away at the monster's fur and was now licking its skin, greedily tearing its way through muscle and sinew. Hermione averted her gaze, the reek of burned flesh filling her nostrils, giving her a brief flash of déjà vu as she remembered Millicent's death. Though she knew it was just a game, the very concept made her stomach queasy. She leaned over and vomited on the forest floor.

"Blimey, Granger. You're a big, brave Gryffindor who faces off with Voldemort and the Death Eaters and here you are, spewing sick because you can't handle a monster burning," Draco sneered.

"It reminds me of Millicent...," she grunted, wiping sick from her lips.

"Oh, right, your first kill," he muttered.

She straightened up and took a breath.

"Let's just continue. Maybe we can find food in a less... dangerous place," she grunted, beginning to make her way back into the forest. Draco caught up to her and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

"What'd you think of Loony's prediction that we'll face our greatest fear?" he asked casually, kicking aside a rock.

"Luna, her name is Luna," Hermione growled, picking up her pace so that she walked in front of him.

"You didn't answer my question, Granger," Malfoy chided, easily keeping pace with her.

Hermione gritted her teeth and kept walking briskly.

"I think we'd better keep an eye out whether it's true or not," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"Fair enough," Draco agreed.

They continued walking through the forest, both growing increasingly frustrated when they couldn't find any other signs of food.

"We're going to starve to death in this damn arena," Draco growled in frustration. He kicked at a fallen log and then yelped out in pain, letting out a stream of profanities.

"If I'm going to starve to death, I'd rather it not be with you," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Wow, I'm flattered, Granger," Malfoy snorted.

Several sparks of fire leaped off of Hermione's hand, conjured by her angry disposition.

"Just shut up, Malfoy."

"Touchy, are we?"

Hermione opened her mouth to deliver a sharp retort, but stopped, her words stuck in her throat as she stared ahead.

"Granger, what-" Malfoy started, but Hermione held out her hand, signaling him to be quiet. She pointed to the fronds of a palm tree, which rose up far above the others. The first thing that was quite noticeable about this particular palm tree was the extremely large coconuts that grew on it.

"You've got to be joking. Granger, that tree is huge. It would take forever to climb and if we fell...," he trailed off, his tone implying the repercussions.

"It's better than starving to death," Hermione grumbled.

"But it's-" Draco began to argue, but Hermione cut him off.

"If it makes you feel any better, I can climb up for find a way to get the fruit down," Hermione proposed.

"Fine," muttered Draco.

With that, they began making their way forward toward the towering tree.

* * *

As soon as they stepped out of the brush and neared the trunk of the tree, they were greeted with a nasty surprise.

Hermione froze. There before them were two creatures. One, with the head of a woman and the body of a lion, and the other was a huge snake with three heads.

"A Sphinx and a Runespoor," Hermione breathed.

"Great," muttered Draco, "Remind me not to follow along with your ideas in the future, Granger."

"What's wrong with you?" she snapped back.

"I'll have you know that I am deathly afraid of Runespoors," Malfoy retorted in a heated whisper.

Hermione stopped and stared at him, her eyes wide. She had just realized something.

"Granger? I know I'm a hell of a sight, but you can stop staring now. It's starting to creep me out," Malfoy said, smirking. Hermione scowled and shook her head.

"I wasn't _staring_ at you. I just realized something. Luna said that we'd both face our worst fears in order to get food...," Hermione whispered, trailing off.

"Blimey...," Malfoy whispered. "That's bonkers. How could she have known...," he trailed off.

"I dunno. Let's just find a way past them, get the food, and get out of here," Hermione whispered determinedly.

"Whatever, let's just make a plan."

"Fine, here's the plan: we split them up and fight them individually," Hermione whispered confidently.

"What? Granger, are you mad?" Draco whispered defiantly.

"No, Malfoy, I'm not. See, when they're together, they're stronger. When they're separate, however, they are weaker," she reasoned.

"Yeah? Well, so are we. If we split up now, we'll have no chance of defeating them," Malfoy argued, his voice rising.

"Just listen to me," Hermione pleaded. "Luna said we'd face our worst fears in order to acquire food. If that's true, then we need to face our own fears by ourselves," Hermione explained.

"Fine," grumbled Draco. "It's a better plan than I have. We might as well go along with it."

"All right, well... good luck," Hermione whispered before ducking out from behind the bushes. She clenched her fingers, making a fireball dance to life.

"Hey, you old bimbo! Over here!" Hermione yelled, waving her fireball about, hoping to catch the attention of the Sphinx.

She caught the attention of the Sphinx all right, but also of the Runespoor.

"Malfoy, don't just stand there! Do something!" Hermione screamed, backing away from the tree, diagonal to the bush she had emerged from.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Draco pelting the Runespoor with balls of water, trying to attract its attention. It turned on him, slithering in his direction. He stood completely still, his hands beginning to shake. Hermione had to look away from Draco because the Sphinx was rapidly advancing on her.

Soon enough, she was back in the forest again, feeling as if she were trapped because of the plethora of trees surrounding her. She continued backing up until she felt the rough surface of the tree bark pressing into her back. The Sphinx padded up to stand in front of her, then to her surprise, sat down and started to speak.

"In order to proceed further, you must answer this riddle correctly:

_First a beam of sunlight,_

_Then the middle of the end,_

_Together they make a king's might,_

_And the water the clouds send." _

For once in her life, Hermione was unsure of the answer.

* * *

Draco pelted the Runespoor with water balls frantically, backing away into the makeshift path they had come from. It was several minutes before he realized that the only thing he was doing was annoying the creature. Every time a ball of water hit it, all three heads would hiss furiously and pause for a moment to regain their bearings before advancing once more.

He stopped suddenly, a flashback of his childhood parading before his eyes.

_Draco made his way into the mansion, having arrived back from his fourth year at Hogwarts. The Crabbes had picked him up from King's Cross and were willing to drop him off at Malfoy Mansion. After all, the Crabbes' estate was not far away from Malfoy Mansion. _

_ He paused before the grand staircase, hearing voices come from the basement below him. He hesitated, dropped his bag to the floor and crept down the stairs to the basement, the voices growing louder. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and peeked around the corner curiously. What he saw was an image that would haunt his memory forever. _

_ His father sat on a chair, his arms and legs bound to it with tendrils of dark magic- the binding spell. Draco's eyes slid to a creature that stood before his father, a gigantic snake with three heads that hissed and spat at Lucius, its posture tensed as if it were waiting to attack. Behind the Runespoor stood the figure of a man that made Draco shiver in fear. The Dark Lord. He kept talking, obviously trying to worm information out of Lucius. _

_ "You will find the location of the Order of the Phoenix or I may just let my little pet here feed on your flesh. You know that Runespoors are classified as highly dangerous by the Ministry of Magic?" hissed Voldemort. The Runespoors three heads hissed in unison as if affirming Voldemort's comment._

_ "Y-y-yes, M'Lord," Lucius stammered, his fear-filled eyes staring in terror at the creature. _

Draco shook his head, trying to get the scene out of his memory. Rage boiled up in his stomach as he thought about the many years that Voldemort had blackmailed and threatened his family to do his biddy. Seven years of fury reached its boiling point within him and he thrust his hand forward, creating the largest ball of water that he ever had and let it envelope the monster, giving it no mercy, drowning it.

When he saw the monster within the ball of clear water stop squirming, he let the sphere of liquid fall to the ground with a crash, drenching the vicinity. He collapsed onto the ground, his energy having been exerted from the kill.

* * *

"What is your answer?" the Sphinx asked sharply.

"Give me a moment to think it through, please," grumbled Hermione. "A beam of sunlight... Oh, what's a synonym for beam?" she asked no one in particular. She felt very stupid, as if the answer were right in front of her and she simply could not see it.

"A beam... A beam... Oh! A ray! Is that it?" she asked frantically. The sphinx was silent, its cold, calculating eyes staring at her.

"Well, I'll move onto the next line. What was that again?"

"_ Then the middle of the end,_" the sphinx recited calmly.

"The middle of the end?" Hermione asked rhetorically, puzzled. "How can there be a middle of the end? That makes no sense at all. What are the next two lines?" she asked, feeling that this was going very wrong. She was the smart one, so shouldn't she know the answer?

"_Together they make a king's might_

_And the water the clouds send,_" the Sphinx repeated.

"A king's might... water the clouds send...," Hermione murmured, thinking out loud. It was a few moments, but at last the pieces finally started fitting together.

"Oh! A beam of sunlight is a ray and the middle of the end... that must mean the letter 'n'. Put them together and you have a homonym, reign for a king's might, and rain for the water the clouds send. Am I correct?" Hermione asked tentatively.

The Sphinx looked at her with its cold eyes before blinking, standing up and moving aside.

"You have answered the riddle correctly," the creature declared. "You shall pass."

With that, the creature began to fade away, lines of static pulsing through its whole body like a television channel with a bad connection. In no time at all, it was gone completely.

Hermione glanced around for Draco, now aware that it was eerily silent. She crept back down to the makeshift path that they had come from, having seen him back away into it while fighting the Runespoor. She walked for a few minutes before coming upon Draco, who was curled up on the forest floor, breathing heavily, hardly able to move.

"Malfoy? she asked in a one word inquiry, kneeling next to him.

"I did it," he said, panting for air. "It's gone."

"I answered the Sphinx's riddle correctly. It's gone now," Hermione declared.

"Good. I guess Loony was right about us facing our worst fear."

"You're in no condition to retrieve the coconuts. I can get them," Hermione offered. Malfoy grunted and gingerly stood to his feet, staggering slightly.

"Fine, but it's a long climb, so... be careful," he muttered.

Hermione thought she detected concern in his voice, but she shook that thought aside. Draco Malfoy would never be concerned about someone else other than himself, much less her.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try," she murmured.

They made their way back to the clearing with the palm tree. Hermione let out a breath of air before finding some foot holds against the tree, balancing her weight against it, and beginning to climb.

It took nearly twenty minutes, but at last she reached the top. She proceeded to separate the coconuts from the tree, letting them drop down to where Draco was waiting below to catch them.

"Hey, Granger, you'd better come down here. There's something you should see," Malfoy called up to her. With a puzzled look, Hermione began climbing down, able to see two vague figures.

"'Mione? What're you doing here? And why are you with Malfoy?" asked a familiar voice. As soon as she reached the base of the tree, she recognized the figures immediately.

It was Harry and Ron.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is so late and I'm so sorry I haven't been updating regularly! My senior year has been incredibly busy. I really hope you enjoyed it and I will try to update more often! **

**Creatively yours, **

**~*Writergurl24*~**


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